had to agree to raise the national debt ceiling. >> we got the debt limit out of the way so that we weren't jeopardizing the full faith and credit of the united states government. at some point, washington has to deal with its spending problem. i've watched them kick this can down the road for 22 years that i've been here. i've had enough of it. time to act. >> sreenivasan: at the white house, spokesman jay carney it's the republicans who are being irresponsible, by rejecting the president's appeal out of hand. >> he put forward a proposal for avoiding that outcome while congress continues working on longer term deficit reduction. that's the sensible thing to do. why make-- why punish the american people because you haven't been able to achieve your ideological objectives through other means? >> sreenivasan: in another development, the associated press reported the u.s. military is cutting back from two aircraft carriers to one, in the persian gulf. the report cited u.s. officials who said it's a direct response to the looming, across-the-board cuts. u.s. and british regulators have